However, doctors and other health professionals are encouraged to advise smokers who want to use them that they are a better alternative to smoking.

Government experts have been encouraged by newly released research suggesting record numbers of attempts to give up are proving successful.

University College London researchers found 20% of attempts were successful in the first six months of 2017, compared with an average of 16% over the previous 10 years.

A successful attempt was judged to be one where the person had tried to stop smoking in the past year and was still abstaining at the time of the survey.

The biggest rise in successful attempts to quit was among people from poorer backgrounds, who have traditionally been the least likely to give up.

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Image copyrightOtherImage caption The Stoptober TV advert features a man in an allotment using an e-cigarette

Deputy chief medical officer Prof Gina Radford said e-cigarettes were playing an important role and as they had “95% less harmful products” in them than cigarettes it was only right that they were promoted during Stoptober.

But she also said there were a number of other factors that were proving effective in reducing smoking rates, including restrictions that have been brought in such as standardised packaging and bans on displays in shops.

26.8% Over 18s smoked in England in 2000

1 in 5 Attempts to quit successful in early 2017

5 “Stoptober” campaigns have been run

Over 1.5m have tried quit during them

PA

Latest figures suggest just over 15% of people were smoking in 2016, down from 21% in 2007, when the smoking ban was introduced, and over 26% at the turn of the century.

As smoking has decreased, vaping has increased. About one in 20 people over 16 regularly uses e-cigarettes currently – a quarter of them are smokers or ex-smokers.

But Prof Radford said: “The battle against smoking is far from over – it is still the country’s biggest killer, causing 79,000 deaths a year.

“And for every death, another 20 smokers are suffering smoking-related disease.”